I have an Elna 2300. The flywheel seems stuck, how can I fix it myself?

Grasp the outside of the Flywheel really firmly and then using a piece of that rubber mat grip, grasp the inner wheel and turn it towards you. Sometimes if the machine hasn't been used for some time, the flywheel will get quite tight and you may need to apply some force. Is your machine the Blue top Star Series SU? Great strong workhorse machine. If you are a bit mechanical and what to delve into the machine, I'd suggest you find the Yahoo Group called Elna Heirlooms where owners of these Swiss made beauties share their passion and knowledge of these machines.

Take it for service. Most likely it has seized due to lack of regular cleaning and oiling. Most likely, it will be good as new. AVOID trying to run the machine or it can damage the motor.

do you mean that you can't unlock the inner wheel on the flywheel to disengage the clutch? Grasp the outer flywheel and using a plastic mat for removing jar lids, get a good grip on the inner clutch wheel, then turn it towards you.

try using one of those squares of gripping plastic mat that you put into the bottom of the drawer to get a good grip on the knob and outer flywheel. if this is an older Elna, then they can get pretty siezed up with age.

Hi Dave,
not sure where you are located for a repairer but the US Swiss Elna Guru is White Sewing Center for spares and repairs.

But I would strongly suggest that you jump over to Yahoo groups and join the group called "Elna heirlooms", then search the threads there as there has been lots of discussions in the past on the Air Electronic drive belts, I can't remember now what the fix is but there are some really talented mechanics in that group, Jim is one who springs to mind.

Also, these machines do have have capacitors inside the air electronic panel for controlling the speed. Also, in this group there is some shared images of manuals/parts/repairs which should be of help to you.

if the machine is new & it's already making noises, the I'd suggest taking the machine back & getting another

I can direct you to a service manual for your machine but it may be something that you need a trained Elna service technician to deal with.

Link is http://www.arizonaexpressionz.com/elna_service/air_elec_carina_elec_SM.pdf

I am more familiar with the SU air electronic where you just hold the outside of the flywheel and turn the inside knob to disengage and rengage the clutch - didn't realise the Carina had a button flywheel release until I looked in the service manual.

Anyway, you could try dismantling the flywheel following the exploded diagram in the service manual if you are technically minded.

Or just take it to a reputable serviceman, I'm a big fan to supporting these guys as their knowledge is invaluable.

http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/24462970-elna-2100-2300-sewing-machine-owner-manual